Project WideOpen YFZ TM Designworks Chain Slide & Glide

I've noticed that when most riders look at a
Pro's quad, they usually only notice the big things that have been
changed - the front suspension, bars, steering stem, swing arm,
nerf bars / pegs, bumper - the obvious things. I personally think
that the things that make a Pro "a Pro", are the things that aren't
as easy to notice. The small pieces that make a difference, that
many beginners wouldn't think of.

One of those small things happens to be the
chain sliders, chain guides, and case saver. The case saver is a
little more obvious to most people than the rest. The stock thin
metal case saver usually just won't get the job done if you throw a
chain during a race. I've seen many people crack their case even
with an aftermarket saver, so you can imagine what it would have
been like with the stock one still there.

On the YFZ450 in particular, when you ride
motocross, freestyle or lots of high-speed jumps anywhere else, the
upper chain rollers wears out really fast. This is even more of a
problem when you extend the travel in the rear. With more travel,
your swing arm and chain are allowed to come up a lot closer and a
lot more to the upper guide. If you don't replace it with an
aftermarket roller, you can bet on wearing through the guide very
quickly!

There's also a guide bolted onto the swing arm
itself that protects the cap and swing arm that surround your
bearings. Its easy to forget about and it also wears out quickly.
My stock one eventually wore down to nothing, and the chain started
hitting my swing arm. The chain went all the way through my swing
arm and bearing, and I had to replace my swing arm because of it.
Replacing this with an aftermarket slider will save you from this
expensive mistake.

For all of these parts, I decided to use
T.M. Designworks. T.M. is currently used by many
top riders and has been a quality manufacturer of these products
for many years. T.M. design uses a die cast material finished with
their exclusive raised Powerlip design on their rollers. They claim
that the chain runs faster and truer than stock or universal
rollers with this Powerlip design. All of the rollers come with
sealed racing bearings, specific fit stainless or OEM hardware, and
a one year wear replacement warranty.

Stock bottom chain roller left;
TM Design botton chain roller right

The bottom chain roller is held on with one
bolt, but is kind of a pain to get to with the swing arm on. I was
able to remove the bolt and install the new one, but it would be
much easier to install the part at a time that you have the swing
arm already un-installed.

The upper roller and bracket kit is much easier
to install. The new bracket moves the roller up much higher for
when the suspension compresses farther. *Make sure to install the
bracket with the skinny part down. Two bolts hold this roller and
bracket on.

The chain Slide N Guide that mounts on the swing
arm is molded with an oil additive to reduce drag for HP. The new
length reduces the chain torque for improved suspension
performance. The thicker top wear pad will accommodate a larger
front sprocket. It is also possible to install with the swing arm
on, but again, I would recommend you do with the swing arm off.
Make sure the bolt isn't going to come loose, but be sure not to
break it off in the swingarm.

Stock case saver on left;
TM Design case saver on right

The case saver is the only one on the market
with a patent pending energy dispensing plastic design. It removes
most of the chain impact load off of the two 6mm bolts by having
the front section solidly mount against the case. The ornamental
cutout reduces weight. The stock case saver and mud guard is held
on with two bolts, easily removed. With this case saver, you can
use up to a 15 tooth front sprocket and use the stock mud guard if
needed.

These four products all cost about $30 each,
making the total cost to replace all of these parts a little over
$100. But a swing arm costs a lot more than that to replace, and
these rollers and guides look a lot better than stock.